News
SHOC welcomes new PhD student Jens Van Mieghem!
Jens studied History at Ghent University (2025), with a focus on the Early Modern period. He wrote his Master’s thesis on local police regulations in Ghent in 1581-87, during and after the Calvinist Republic of Ghent.
SHOC member Bob Pierik wins the Prof. Van Winter Award 2025 for best local or regional history book in the Netherlands.
On Thursday 22 January, the Prof. Van Winterprijs 2025 was awarded to SHOC member Bob Pierik during the Award Day of the Koninklijk Nederlands Historisch Genootschap in Utrecht.
Call for sessions/papers & workshops: Ctrl-Alt-History – (Digital)Humanities meets AI
On 29 April 2026, the Belgian Association for Contemporary History (BVNG-ABHC) organises the Dag van de Nieuwste Geschiedenis – Journée de l’Histoire Contemporaine, in collaboration with the University of Antwerp .
New FORAGENCY publication by SHOC member Thijs Costers: “Banana beer in Belgian Burundi: a social metabolist history of intoxication (1916–1962)”
New FORAGENCY publication: “Banana beer in Belgian Burundi: a social metabolist history of intoxication (1916–1962)” In this exciting open access paper published in the Journal of Eastern African Studies , FORAGENCY PhD candidate Thijs Costers traces the ways in which colon...
Three new FWO projects for SHOC!
We’re thrilled to announce that three members of the SHOC research group have secured funding in this year’s FWO/Research Foundation–Flanders project competition.
New SHOC member: Lieke Bes!
Lieke studied Archaeological Science at Leiden University (Netherlands), with a specialisation in osteoarchaeology and isotope analysis of human remains. For her MSc thesis, she investigated diet at the late to post-Medieval village of Koudekerke in Zeeland (NL) through stable isotope analysis.
New publication by SHOC member Jolien Gijbels and Chanelle Delameillieure
Consent: A history of coercion and free will and everything in between 'No means no', we say. But does yes always mean yes? Consent seems obvious, but remains a difficult concept to grasp.
SHOC member William Torbeyns on research stay in Bologna
Since November, SHOC researcher William Torbeyns has been in Bologna for a three-month international research stay.
Vacancy: Postdoctoral Researcher on the Social History of Capitalism (12th-20th centuries)
Postdoctoral Researcher on the Social History of Capitalism (12th-20th centuries) Category: Academic Staff & Researchers 1 - Working at the VUB For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, a...
PhD student Leonie Vanlerberghe joins SHOC!
Introducing Leonie: Uncovering Resistance to Women in Belgian Politics We’re excited to welcome Leonie as she begins her PhD journey exploring the opposition faced by female politicians in twentieth-century Belgium.
New publication by SHOC member Imma Petito
In her latest article for Diplomatica , SHOC member Imma Petito (joint PhD VUB-Università di Salerno) uncovers the dynamic strategies behind Anglo-Neapolitan diplomacy in the late Middle Ages.
SHOC member Vicky Vanruysseveldt successfully defends her PhD thesis
On Tuesday 21 October, Vicky Vanruysseveldt successfully defended her PhD, On the Road with Entertainment, under the supervision of SHOC member Anne Winter. Her research sheds light on the income strategies and mobility of itinerant entertainers in Brabant between 1750 and 1914.
New publication by SHOC member Bob Pierik
In a new article in Dutch titled ‘Bomen en palen aan de kust van vroegmodern Amsterdam.
Historians by Day, Snipers by Night
Last Monday, our research group kicked off the week with an exhilarating team-building adventure! Right after work, we headed to Space Laser Games in Etterbeek for an intense round of laser tag.
SHOC op de diploma-uitreiking van de VUB!
Afgelopen maandag namen verschillende leden van de SHOC-onderzoeksgroep deel aan de diploma-uitreiking van de VUB op de iconische Grote Markt in Brussel.
New chapter begins: Make-Up of the City becomes Make-Up of the Cities!
Building on the success of the Make-Up of the City project , SHOC members Bart Lambert, Patxi Perez Ramallo and Charlotte Van Riet, alongside colleagues from other VUB research groups, now launch the next phase in their interdisciplinary exploration of Flanders’ medieval urban past, Make-Up of the...
SHOC member Ward Leloup wins paleography contest
On 4 October, 41 palaeographers from Flanders and the Netherlands gathered in St-Truiden for the finals of the Wat Staat Daer? Palaeography Contest. After a tough online preselection, the finalists faced the challenge of transcribing three texts from the 14th, 16th and 17th centuries.
SHOC members Brent Huygh and William Torbeyns secure PhD funding
SHOC did very well in this year’s FWO PhD funding competition ! Congratulations to Brent Huygh and William Torbeyns, who both secured funding for their doctoral research.
Lukas Van Oost starts at SHOC
Lukas (b. 2000) studied History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2022–2025) and Art History at Ghent University (2018–2022). His research centers on the colonial history of Central Africa.
VACANCY: PhD researcher at the VUB (Social History of Capitalism research group) and Ghent University (History Department)
VACANCY for a doctoral researcher at the VUB (Social History of Capitalism research group) and Ghent University (History Department) in the FWO project “Blaming and Shaming by Ordinary Villagers: Rural Perspectives on Social Control in Flanders, c. 1400–1600”.
Events
Practical info23/01/2026 - 09:30 - 23/01/2026 - 12:30SHOC colleague Reinout Vander Hulst on Missionaries in Congo
This Friday, 23 January 2026, SHOC colleague Reinout Vander Hulst will give a presentation entitled "Missionaries and Violence", which is taking place as part of a series of lectures organised by MoSa and KADOC, focusing on the history of Protestant and Catholic missionaries in colonial and postc
Practical info11/02/2026 - 19:00 - 11/02/2026 - 20:45The Foragers #4 - Film Screening: Neptune Frost (2021)
Practical info16/02/2026 - 10:30 - 16/02/2026 - 12:00SHOC seminar with Stephan Strunz
Air, Alleys, and Affection: The Politics of the Housing Survey between Basel, Liège, and Berlin
This paper traces the emergence, circulation, and transformation of a survey method that gained prominence at the end of the nineteenth century through the interplay between the Belgian traditi
Practical info25/02/2026 - 17:00 - 25/02/2026 - 19:30Book launch with SHOC member Jolien Gijbels - Consent: A history of coercion and free will and everything in between
It was only a few weeks ago that SHOC had the honour of presenting the new publication of "Consent:
Practical info31/03/2026 - 18:00 - 31/03/2026 - 20:00Art effects: sensory education in uncertain times
South African professor Premesh Lalu gives a lecture about The Herds, a groundbreaking public art and climate initiative designed to inspire action and renew our bond with the natural world.
